Conventionally, for a thin-wall cylindrical sliding bearing manufactured by press-forming of a multilayer slide material composed of a steel back metal and a sliding bearing alloy layer, a flash plating layer (also referred to as “coat layer”) has been deposited so as to coat the outer back surface of the steel back metal opposing to the inner peripheral surface on which the bearing alloy layer is formed and side edges thereof as described in e.g. JP-A-2002-513890 (see paragraph [0016]). The flash plating layer is deposited to prevent the steel back metal from corrosion and to give it a bright and attractive appearance. As the flash plating layer, a Sn or Pb—Sn plating layer having a thickness of 1 μm or smaller is used.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the above-described thin-wall cylindrical sliding bearing 1′ is, in use, press-fitted in a bearing housing 4 by a press-fitting jig 3. Through the press fitting process, the cylindrical sliding bearing 1′ is fixed by generated pressure by means of an interference in a radial direction of the bearing. At the same time, the cylindrical sliding bearing 1′ must be caused to fit in with the inner diameter of the bearing housing 4, since the outer diameter of the cylindrical sliding bearing 1′ manufactured by the press-forming does not have a true circular shape. When the cylindrical sliding bearing 1 whose outer diameter is not a true circle shape is press-fitted in the bearing housing 4, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, at the early stage of the press-fitting process, the cylindrical sliding bearing 1′ is liable to be tilt when it is press-fitted in the inner diameter of the bearing housing 4, so that disadvantageously a defect such as galling is liable to occur. If a Sn or Pb—Sn flash plating layer 2′ is deposited, an advantage of preventing galling is also offered since the Sn or Pb—Sn flash plating layer 2′ can lower friction between the back surface of the cylindrical sliding bearing 1′ and the inner peripheral surface of the bearing housing 4 during the press fitting.